Afghanistan National Institute of Music

Quando, a 15 de agosto de 2021, se deu a queda de Cabul, a música foi proibida pelo regime talibã. Portugal acolheu 273 refugiados, dentre os quais alunos e professores do ANIM. Este ato de uma relevância transcendente, que não acolheu a devida atenção da sociedade civil portuguesa, permitiu salvar não apenas vidas humanas (especialmente de jovens raparigas), mas também uma tradição musical ameaçada.

O Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) tem-se notabilizado por um trabalho contínuo na salvaguarda e transmissão do património musical afegão, bem como na promoção da igualdade de género, de que se destaca a orquestra Zohra, composta por 35 mulheres.
A identidade cultural de um povo assenta, entre outros matizes, na forma como se expressa musicalmente.

Assim, o ANIM junta-se ao Ensemble Darcos e ao fadista Marco Oliveira, combinando a música tradicional dos dois países, o Afeganistão e Portugal.

O lançamento acontece no dia 10 de dezembro e ficará disponível em CD e nas plataformas digitais.

Apoio: República Portuguesa - Ministério da Cultura, Juventude e Desporto / Direção Geral das Artes; Ensemble Darcos; Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras; Câmara Municipal de Lisboa; Égide; Conservatório de Música Calouste Gulbenkian de Braga; Antena 2

✨ Afghan Youth Orchestra in Concert ✨

Last Saturday, the Afghan Youth Orchestra of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music gave an unforgettable concert at the beautiful Theatro Circo, Braga.

Braga has been the home of our orchestra, our institution, and our young musicians for the past three years, and we are proud to share our music in the city we now call home.

The evening featured inspiring performances by the Afghan Youth Orchestra and a rubab quintet, celebrating the rich beauty of Afghan music. Our mission is to preserve and share Afghanistan’s cultural heritage with the world — and now, from our new home in Braga.

📸 Photo: Maria João Salgado / Theatro Circo

PRESS RELEASE | COMUNICADO DE IMPRENSA

🎶 Concerto Jovem Orquestra do Afeganistão 🎶
📍 Theatro Circo, Braga
🕕 20 de setembro, às 18h
🎟️ Bilhetes disponíveis

Sob a direção do Maestro .moreira.da.silva , jovens músicos afegãos sobem ao palco para partilhar a beleza da sua cultura. Uma noite dedicada à música afegã e à luta pelos direitos humanos, musicais e de género.

✨ Um espetáculo único que não vai querer perder!
📸 Foto: Kai Bienert (YEC)

🎶 Afghanistan National Institute of Music in Concert 🎶
📍 Theatro Circo, Braga
🕕 September 20th, 6 PM
🎟️ Tickets available

Conducted by Maestro Tiago Moreira da Silva, young Afghan musicians will showcase the beauty of their homeland. An evening of Afghan music and a powerful stand for human rights, music rights, and gender equality.

✨ A unique performance not to be missed!
📸 Photo: Kai Bienert (YEC)

On August 17, 2025, the Afghan Youth Orchestra, conducted by .moreira.da.silva, closed the at the historic — on the fourth anniversary of the day music was banned in Afghanistan.

For these young musicians, many of them forced into exile, this night was more than a concert: it was the reclaiming of a silenced cultural voice and a declaration that Afghanistan’s music and spirit cannot be erased. 🎶✨

ANIM’s founder, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, reminded the world: “You can cut down all the flowers, but you cannot stop spring.” 🌱

From Afghan traditions woven into symphonic forms, to a moving setting of a Persian poem about spring, every note carried resilience, hope, and the belief that freedom will return to Afghanistan. 💚



📸 Kai Bienert

Good News for All Lovers of Afghan Music

The Afghanistan National Youth Orchestra has continued its activities in exile since the return of the Taliban to power and the banning of music in Afghanistan. Over the past four years, they have performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls as cultural ambassadors and as the voice of the Afghan people.

On the evening of 17 August, they will take the stage at the historic and renowned Konzerthaus Berlin. We hope you will join us on this unforgettable night, standing alongside these dedicated, talented young musicians — the guardians of our country’s musical heritage.

📍 Address: Konzerthaus Berlin, Gendarmenmarkt, 10117 Berlin
🎟 Tickets: Purchase here

FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION OFFICER

We are looking for a motivated and detail-oriented Finance and Administration Officer to support both the financial management and administrative operations of ANIMP. This role plays a key part in ensuring the smooth functioning of our programs and organizational activities in Portugal.

🇦🇫 👧 🎶 Zohra Orchestra to Perform at Spazio Teatro No’hma in Milan - A Symbol of Cultural Resilience and a New Chapter of Hope

The internationally acclaimed Zohra Orchestra, originally formed as Afghanistan’s first all-female ensemble, will perform at Spazio Teatro No’hma in Milan on July 10, 2025, at 9:00 PM, offering audiences a moving musical experience and a powerful message of resilience, solidarity, and cultural dialogue. Conducted by Maestro .moreira.da.silva

Founded at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), Zohra became a symbol of resistance and empowerment, giving voice to young Afghan women through music in a society where they were once silenced. Following the Taliban’s return to power and the orchestra’s forced exile, Zohra found a new home in Portugal — where it was re-established and reborn.

In a remarkable evolution, Portuguese girls have since joined Zohra, performing side by side with their Afghan peers. This unique collaboration embodies the orchestra’s mission to build bridges between cultures and generations, and to use music as a vehicle for healing, unity, and hope.

The Milan performance will feature a dynamic program of Afghan traditional and popular music, highlighting not only the ensemble’s musical excellence but also its powerful social message.

Event Details 🎼
Date: July 10, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Spazio Teatro No’hma, Milan

This concert is presented in collaboration with Spazio Teatro No’hma in Milan forms part of Zohra’s mission, dedicated to preserving Afghanistan’s musical heritage and promoting freedom of artistic expression around the world.

PRESS RELEASE

Zohra Orchestra to Perform at Spazio Teatro No’hma in Milan
A Symbol of Cultural Resilience and a New Chapter of Hope

Milan, Italy – July 2025 — The internationally acclaimed Zohra Orchestra, originally formed as Afghanistan’s first all-female ensemble, will perform at Spazio Teatro No’hma in Milan on July 10, 2025, at 9:00 PM, offering audiences a moving musical experience and a powerful message of resilience, solidarity, and cultural dialogue.

Founded at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), Zohra became a symbol of resistance and empowerment, giving voice to young Afghan women through music in a society where they were once silenced. Following the Taliban’s return to power and the orchestra’s forced exile, Zohra found a new home in Portugal — where it was re-established and reborn.

In a remarkable evolution, Portuguese girls have since joined Zohra, performing side by side with their Afghan peers. This unique collaboration embodies the orchestra’s mission to build bridges between cultures and generations, and to use music as a vehicle for healing, unity, and hope.

The Milan performance will feature a dynamic program of Afghan traditional and popular music, highlighting not only the ensemble’s musical excellence but also its powerful social message.

Event Details:
Date: July 10, 2025
Time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Spazio Teatro No’hma, Milan

This concert is presented in collaboration with Spazio Teatro No’hma in Milan forms part of Zohra’s mission, dedicated to preserving Afghanistan’s musical heritage and promoting freedom of artistic expression around the world.

Media Contact:
Afghanistan National institute of Music in exile
Dr. Ahmad Sarmast
[email protected]
Telephone: +61 421981246

🚨 URGENT – FINAL HOURS TO VOTE! 🚨
NAZIRA NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT NOW!

Dear Friends,

Time is running out, and Nazira Azimi – the first Afghan woman symphonic composer and proud ANIM alumna – is currently in second place in the final round of the Hitmaker competition!

Her powerful orchestral piece, “Endless,” is just one step away from being performed at the Global Citizen Festival – a global platform that could spotlight Afghan music and women’s voices in an unprecedented way.

This is a historic opportunity for Nazira, for ANIM, and for Afghanistan. We cannot afford to fall short now.

🔴 We need your vote — and we need it NOW.

Please:
✅ VOTE IMMEDIATELY
✅ SHARE WIDELY
✅ RALLY OTHERS to do the same

Let’s bring Nazira to the world stage. Let’s show the world what Afghan resilience sounds like.

Vote for Global Women In Music to perform LIVE at the 2025 Global Citizen Festival, appear in Rolling Stone, and win $50,000! Nazira Wali's (Afghanistan) Powerful Orchestral Piece "Endless" Brings A Meaningful And Diverse Contribution To The GC Concert